The Spiritual Appeal of Democratic Socialism

As a proud “Reagan Democrat,” I felt blessed to be in Berlin a few days after the Wall fell in November 1989. I will never forget the sight of the Wall’s death strip or the blight and stench of decrepit East Berlin. The joy on the faces of those finally able to escape the East’s socialist police state is etched in my memory. It seemed this failed ideology was fully discredited and dead. 

But here we are in 2026, and socialist-aligned candidates have won a string of victories in Democratic primary elections. Why is this happening?

I am confident that only a small number of Democrats are fully committed to the radical platform of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Most voters have no idea what it says. However, a significant minority in the party has been swept up, to one degree or another, in a movement that is embracing aspects of socialism and rejecting key facets of our constitutional system. This is dangerous for the party and, more importantly, for our country. 

The surge of socialist candidates has largely been fueled by young people. A just-released CNBC Generation Lab poll indicates that almost half of eighteen- to thirty-four-year-olds have a favorable or very favorable view of democratic socialism. Similarly, a Pew Research Center poll this summer found that almost two-in-five Democrats under fifty years of age say they “like a political leader who identifies as a democratic socialist.” This contrasts with only one-in-four Democrats over fifty having positive feelings toward such politicians, suggesting the lasting impact of Cold War memories. 

The absence of such memories in the younger cohort, however, does not account for their positive disposition toward socialism, which is most often explained—especially for Gen Z—as a reaction to economic anxieties about the job market as well as the lack of affordable homes, healthcare, and other necessities. Many who blame a broken economic system for these conditions have fallen for the socialist solution peddled on social media, college campuses, and the campaign trail. 

While this certainly tells part of the story, an explanation focused exclusively on economics assumes an overly simplistic view of the human person and ignores other contemporary realities in our society. 

We know that countless Americans—particularly those who have grown up in the smartphone age—have found that the empty pleasures sold by our nihilistic culture have left them feeling alone and adrift in a sea of pointless despair. This Easter, when I was writing about the rise in the number of catechumens and candidates in the Catholic Church, numerous priests told me that it was very common for these new converts to speak about this emptiness and how they found fulfillment in the Church. 

Unfortunately, the same hollowness is leaving others vulnerable to false gods. 

While converts discover meaning and purpose in the Church’s deep spiritual, intellectual, and moral tradition and encounter human connection in the fellowship of the Catholic community, I can attest to having seen many lost souls over the years turn to politics for these, only to later learn they are getting but a simulacrum. 

Socialism can be particularly attractive because it promises its adherents even more than a normal political party, organization, or candidate. Its principal claim is pseudo-religious and fundamentalist. The DSA website declares that anyone who joins the “multiracial working class united in solidarity” can take part in defeating the enemy—the “capitalist class”—and in creating an earthly utopia. Food, education, energy, medicine, transportation, and retirement will all be provided for free; the Department of War will eventually be defunded; and steps will be taken “towards fully abolishing the police and prison system.” The DSA even talks about how this new system will provide “answers” to “fundamental questions of our lives.”

While we cannot prove empirically how many are choosing this political movement as a substitute for religion, polling shows some notable correlations. While Democrats under fifty years of age are more likely than their elders to “like” democratic socialist politicians, Americans in this age cohort are less likely to place a high importance on religious faith, according to a Gallup poll. A similar relationship also shows up in other demographic groups. Democrats who are college-educated, white, or in the top third in income are more likely to have a positive disposition toward democratic socialists while also being less likely to say their religion is of high importance.  

The substitution of a political movement for religious faith is not a new phenomenon in American politics. In a previous piece for First Things, I wrote that both parties had already become dominated by those who treat partisanship as a fundamentalist pseudo-religious identity. This is incompatible with our constitutional democracy and thus constitutes a threat to our republic. Today’s socialist movement is simply a more unabashed, extreme, and dangerous version of this type of partisanship.  

While this is a political problem, politics alone cannot solve it. Over the past decades, we have witnessed not only a steady rise in the number of Americans who say they follow no religious tradition, but also a sharp increase in the number who seldom or never attend religious services. One result was the rise of political partisanship as a substitute. 

Hopefully we are at the beginning of a sustained revival of Christian faith. If not, more and more Americans will continue to treat politics as religion. This is perilous for our republic—and for souls.